1. Interest Aggregation
And Political Parties

2. What is Aggregation? aggregation
[ag-ri-gey-shuh n]
noun
1. a group or mass of distinct or varied things, persons, etc.:
an aggregation of complainants.
2. collection into an unorganized whole.
3. the state of being so collected.
4. Biology, Ecology. a group of organisms of the same or different species living closely together but less integrated than a society.

3. Interest Aggregation (Powell, Chapter 5)
The process by which political demands are combined into policy programs.
Depends on political skills and resources
The process determines which interests are heard and who is allowed to participate
Can either create a balanced government program, OR a bunch of compromises which satisfy no one

4. Personal interest aggregation
Patron-client networks
a process of personal connections
benefits in exchange for loyalty
Extremely common in all countries

5. Institutional interest aggregation
Groups are most able to make transition from articulation of demand to aggregation of demands b/c they have resources
Associational groups – (trade unions, chamber of commerce) sometimes have enough influence to do more than just represent a particular interest
Institutional groups – bureaucratic agencies & military factions – government bureaucracies may negotiate with interest groups to identify their preferences or to mobilize their support
Military organizations – control physical force have power as aggregators

6. Competitive party systems vs Authoritarian party systems
Competitive: parties primarily try to build electoral support
depends on the ability of political parties to form freely and compete for citizen support, and on whether this competition for citizen support is the key to gaining control of the government.
Authoritarian: ruling parties do not have to worry about electoral competitors
Look now at Powell, p. 77, table 5.1

7. Parties and elections What parties do: Develop political positions
Attempt to win a majority – target the center (in systems w/ only 2 parties) or win a cohesive electoral base (in multiple party systems)
Read Powell, page to understand how parties morphed and grew over the years….

8. Plural versus proportional representation
Electoral system – how vote choice is translated into outcomes
In US, Britain, Jamaica, India, Canada (note British influence) The country is divided into election districts; in each district “first past the post” or candidate with the most votes is the rule. In other words, candidates do not need to win a majority of votes to win the election.
This is referred to as SIMPLE SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT (SMD) PLURALITY
In Russian Presidential elections, they do the above, but then have a Majority Run-Off (aka a Double Ballot)
Round 1: If a candidate receives over 50% of the vote, he wins.
Round 2: Occurs if no one receives over 50% of the vote in Round 1. the top two vote-getters from Round 1 are put on the ballot, and another election ensues. Whichever one gets the largest number of votes (a plurality) wins.

9. PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION (PR)
-country divided into few large districts (or single national district) and competing parties offer lists of candidates
-Number of legislative seats a party wins depends on the percentage of the vote the party receives
For example: A party winning 5% of the vote could win 5% of the seats in the national legislature. In some countries, like Russia, parties must achieve a minimum threshold of votes (can be 3% or 5%) to receive any seats at all.

10. Two Major Types of Party Systems
Competitive and Authoritarian
Competitive – parties aggregate interests through elections, participation in government and implementation of policy
Authoritarian – attempt to develop policy proposals and mobilize support within the ranks of the party in interaction with specific groups; can be very responsive to social demands (ex: CCP)

11. Competitive Party Systems
Majoritarian – two party dominant system (either because the parties dominate or because election laws help them win)
Multiparty-narrowly based parties that negotiate and create alliances to achieve goals (exist because a variety of circumstances make party domination difficult)
Consensual or conflictual – are the parties relatively close on policies? Do they generally trust one another and the political system? OR are the parties far apart

12. Trends in Aggregation
Internationally interest aggregation appears to be moving toward the democratic model
Explanation for this trend?
Decline of ideology
Change in public acceptance of unpopular regimes
International efforts to support democratization
Illegitimate nature of autocratic regimes

13. Characteristics of a Democracy: Political
Regular/ fair elections
Civil liberties
Rule of law (due process)
Neutrality of judiciary (judicial review)
Open civil society (media separate from gov)
Civilian control of the military
High level of legitimacy
Social capital (belief/ trust in gov and insts)
Values individual freedoms

14. Characteristics of a Democracy: Economic
Post-modernism – emphasizes quality of life over material gain (environmental preservation, health care, etc)
Service sector employment is high (tech, health care, education, finance)
Small agricultural sector
Values individual freedoms

15. Review and Think
What are the differences between competitive party systems and authoritarian party systems?
What is Duverger’s Law? Which two effects does it imply? (Powell, p 82)
Why have many countries turned to military governments, and why are military governments often short-lived?